Field of the Invention
The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to security credentials and, more specifically, to being able to obtain up-to-date credentials that allow a computer program to have uninterrupted access to data.
Brief Description of the Related Art
Industrial equipment or assets, generally, are engineered to perform particular tasks as part of a business process. For example, industrial assets can include, among other things and without limitation, manufacturing equipment on a production line, wind turbines that generate electricity on a wind farm, healthcare or imaging devices (e.g., X-ray or MRI systems) for use in patient care facilities, or drilling equipment for use in mining operations. The design and implementation of these assets often takes into account both the physics of the task at hand, as well as the environment in which such assets are configured to operate.
Low-level software and hardware-based controllers have long been used to drive industrial assets. However, the rise of inexpensive cloud computing, increasing sensor capabilities, and decreasing sensor costs, as well as the proliferation of mobile technologies have created opportunities for creating novel industrial assets with improved sensing technology that are capable of transmitting data that can then be transmitted to a network. As a consequence, there are new opportunities to enhance the business value of some industrial assets using novel industrial-focused hardware and software.
Security is also a concern in these types of systems. Application programs often run background service programs that access data. However, to access the data, proper security credentials are required. Unfortunately, these credentials change over time. In previous systems, this changing or updating of credentials required the re-wiring or re-programming of various elements of the system to obtain the updated and correct credentials, resulting in system down-time and inefficiencies in system operation.